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He took Hannah from her, and she headed to the bathroom. She watched all the blood and grime go down the shower drain. She felt as if it was letting her decide her future.
She dressed and went back out to the living room. She watched as Hudson held Hannah in his arms. Her head leaned on his chest, and she held onto him tightly.
Nora had a feeling the girl wouldn't be getting over this for a while, but she was okay with it.
Hudson pulled his eyes up and smiled at her. "I was going to put a movie on."
Nora sat next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and breathed out a long sigh. She was tired, but she wouldn't fall asleep. Her mind was too alert.
Hudson leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "We are safe now," he said.
She'd known that, but somehow, hearing it forced her to relax a little more. She sank into the couch and looked up at him. "You really mean it? You think we are a family."
He nodded, giving her a grin. "Absolutely."
She leaned forward, kissing him.
They watched a bit of the movie before she felt herself drift off into sleep.
TWENTY-NINE
HUDSON
He was working on his coffee in the kitchen when Nora came down the hallway. She rubbed at her eyes, still puffy from last night. He felt relieved by their conversation last night and the honesty they all shared.
Nora wanted him, and he wasn't going to treat that like it was nothing. His bear wouldn’t allow it. She meant the world to him. Nothing else mattered, not even the elder who had been calling him since he first woke.
"Morning," he said, sliding a mug toward her. He'd already poured it and added the amount of creamer she liked.
She beamed as she took the mug, taking a sip. She sighed as she leaned against the counter. "Thank you."
"Is Hannah up?" he asked, looking down the hallway. He hoped she would sleep in. She was up late, and she needed her rest after everything.
Nora shook her head, sighing heavily as she looked at her coffee. "No, she's still in a deep sleep. I figured I'd let her sleep another hour before waking her."
He smiled at Nora, wanting to pull her into his arms. He thought back to how hard she fought to protect Hannah. Not one sane person would put themselves in harm's way for Hannah like he would, yet Nora did.
His phone rang again, and he grabbed it, scowling at who it was. It was the elder calling once more.
Nora peeked over. "You probably need to get that."
He ignored it, setting it aside. If the elders wanted him, he didn't care. He had other things now. And if they didn't approve of Nora, they weren't worth his time.
She tilted her head, looking at him confused. "Don't you need to answer that?"
"No," he said, pulling her into his arms. "I'm not part of their pack anymore. So, no, I don't have to answer their calls." It was, more or less, the truth.
He never agreed to stay on as the alpha, and he had no inclination to do so either. Nora was more important than anyone else.
"How about we spend today together? We can even do dinner tonight."
"What about Hannah?" she asked, taking another sip from her mug.
As much as he wanted Hannah to be part of that, he needed a heart-to-heart about everything with Nora without her, including the conversation about mating.
"I can have someone watch her."
He would pay his personal chef extra to watch her if he had to.
